Defining Moment in Time
by keeperofwords
Summary: Every person has a defining moment in time. For eleven year old Shelby Corcoran, it all started when she saw a young dancer in the window of Lima's only dance studio. Shelby's life changes in an instant when her eyes meet a blonde haired green eyed dancer. How was she to know it was a defining moment in time? Shelby/ Cassie pairing. This may or maybe not be a one shot.
1. Chapter 1

_For eleven year old Shelby Corcoran, it all started when she saw a young dancer in the window of Lima's only dance studio. With blonde hair and green eyes, Shelby's life changes in an instant when their eyes meet. How was she to know it was a defining moment in time. Shelby/ Cassie pairing. This may or maybe not be a one shot. I really want to hear from you and get feedback. Shall I continue?_

"Defining Moment in Time"

Ch. 1 Eleven Years Old and the Dancing Queen

Shelby POV

The first time I saw her I was pulling my rusty red wagon down Main Street in Lima. It was like 100 degrees outside and the middle of summer. The fire department had opened the fire hydrant and all the neighborhood kids were running through it screaming like maniacs. Everyone but me it seemed. I had no time for such foolishness. I had to work the public street garbage cans that lined the businesses before midafternoon. I had to fish through it and pull out the soft drink cans. Then I had to hump it a thirty minute walk to the recycle center. They stopped accepting after four in the afternoon and I could not afford to miss the cut off. They were sticklers like that. Blinking my eleven year old green eyes and turning on the water works did not work. If I arrived even 4:01, no cash. Then I would have to lug my cargo back home and go hungry. There is not anybody hiring eleven year old girls. Particularly one whose mother is the town drunk and was never home except to sleep it off or bring her man of the night home for sex. My dad had left when I was in a baby. If I wanted to eat I had to see to it myself.

So that is why I was lugging my heaping load of cans up the street. It was pissing me off though. It was bad enough that it was hot enough to fry an egg on the concrete. Willie and Sam were jumping around cutting up not paying attention to anything but Emma Pillsbury. Both boys had their shirts off and were flexing their non-existent twelve year old muscles. And Emma was just eating it up. She, Sara and Lisa were giggling and pretending to ignore them. Both the boys and girls both were both keenly aware of each other.

 _Sickening_ , I thought. I hated boys . . . always had . . . starting with my father, trickling down to my mother's endless cycle of men she brought up and ending with the selfish, childish boys over at my school.

Willie was ignoring me as usual. I did not run in the kids in my schools circle. Everybody knew my dad had left us and my mom was the town drunk. They knew my clothes came from the church clothes closet and I was one of "those kids" that ate free breakfast and free lunch at school. In summer, food was hard to come by. That was why I was out here every day. I did not have time for them anyway. It was hard enough find food to eat for myself and mom in the summer. When school was going on added onto that was doing my homework and the housework in our tiny apartment.

Willie ran right into my wagon sending all the cans crashing over the sidewalk. Of course they were all soaking wet now. I was going to have to drain probably half of them from water before the center would accept them. Willie just laughed and kicked a good dozen of them towards the dance studio window. I ignored them and the other kids as usual and ran to retrieve my cans before the water running out of the hydrant sent them rushing down the curb and towards the storm drain.

I picked most of them up quickly enough then made my way over towards the few Willie had kicked towards the dance studio window. The sound of music that sounded like it should only be played in an elevator or doctor's office was playing on a piano. It sounded funny but nice sort of. It made me think of a feather blowing on the wind. I looked at the position of the sun and chastised myself for taking even the quickest break. I started picking up cans quickly off the sidewalk and throwing them in my wagon. It was then out of the corner of my eye I saw her.

She was wearing a black leotard and her blonde hair was pulled back tight on the top of her head in a bun. She had beautiful green eyes and looked maybe four years older than me? I did not think she was old enough to drive yet. She was old enough to have soft curves in all the right places. She was beautiful. Her leg was stretched on this bar thing and she was stretching towards her pointed toes.

I was too young at the time to realize this was to be a defining moment in my life. Hell, I did not even know at eleven I was to grow up to be a lesbian.

All I knew she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen and I wanted, no I needed to see her again.

I changed my routine then and there. I came by Madame T's dance studio at 2:00 PM to watch the girl of my dreams dance. She was there every day but Sundays. She like I must not get to do a lot of fun stuff most kids both of our ages do in the summertime in Lima, Ohio.

When school started back I came by after school. She was always there. Now with other girls all dressed like her. She danced far the best in my opinion though. She was definitely the prettiest. I also found out if I waited around till after the class the students would go to the soft drink machine and buy drinks. If I waited in the alley, I could quickly retrieve the soda cans and not have to run all over the town for a quick haul.

This one man in a suit always picked up who I now called "Dancing Queen" in a bright red car sport car. It looked like it cost a fortune. It probably did. One day, I thought she looked at me but I could not be sure. I finally realized she did when she walked over to my wagon and put her drink can in it before she got in the red car. She smiled at me before dashing off.

Someone had finally looked at me. Someone had smiled at me. It was something totally foreign to me. I felt like I was floating up in the sky with excitement while simultaneously melting into the grass into a big puddle.

I will remember that time of my life and that smile she gave me for the rest of my life. It was my defining moment in time.

 **One shot or should I continue?**


	2. Chapter 2 Fourteen and Broadway Bound

Thank you for your feedback. In response to it, I wrote this as a response from Cassie's POV. Please let me know what you think. If there is enough interest my muse may continue with certain "moments in time" that were defining moments to Cassandra July and Shelby Corcoran on their path as soul mates.

Please Review!

 **Defining Moment In Time**

 **Chapter Two "Fourteen and Broadway Bound"**

 **Cassie POV**

It was the middle of the afternoon on one of the hottest days of the summer the first time I saw her. I had my right leg on the barre with my toe pointed trying my best to block out the sounds just outside the studio.

 _Damn brats,_ I thought.

The assholes were out there strutting around like skinny pink flamingos. It was so hot the fire department had opened the hydrants up. Luck would have it that it had to be the hydrant right in front of the dance studio. So now I was being graced with sounds of giggly girls and pre-teen boys thinking they were god's gift to women acting like complete idiots. And then I heard another irritating sound on top of it all. A squeaky wheel on some child's toy. It squeaked and shuddered as it came up the street in my direction. How was I to know at that point that that sound was the foreshadowing of the start of something beautiful?

Instead I remember uttering a few choice words under my breath as I stomped over to Madame T's ancient stereo system and turning up the volume of the piece that Madame T insisted upon playing during stretching.

I had no time for distractions. I needed to practice. I needed to focus. I needed to work my ass off this summer of private instruction that Daddy bribed Madame T to give me. Madame T had gone out to the bank to deposit yet another one of Daddy's payments. I had maybe thirty minutes to myself and wanted a moment's peace without having Madame T's voice growling in my ear. It was not happening though. The temptation to storm out of the studio and spew out a few choice words was great, .However I had not wanted to get wet. I did not want to give the boys a show of my breasts in a black wet leotard. They were one of my greatest assets if don't say so myself. I certainly don't hear any complaints now a days. My love is a total breast girl.

Earlier that spring, I had turned fourteen and after continued prodding from both my parents, I had announced to them "my career path". I told them I was going to study at NYADA. I then was going to then get my first professional job in a show by twenty two and by thirty I was going to have a Tony. Mother had immediately gone to the liquor cabinet. Daddy had made some comment that I might meet a rich young man if I was good enough. They both got another surprise at seventeen when I announced on my birthday I liked girls. But that is another story for another time.

After that, Daddy shelled out a bunch of money after that for voice and dance. He then proceeded to tell me I best work my ass off over that summer because he expected results on his investment. Mom had silently pleaded to me that no matter what for me to not become a Rockette. As if, I had laughed to myself. I had bigger plans that that.

Daddy had not needed to threaten me though. I was determined to get out of this good for nothing uncultured town in the middle of Ohio and dance my way to Broadway. Thus I was standing in Madame T's studio in the middle of July when it was one hundred degrees outside. Most kids my age where at the pool. Me, well, I had swimming in a pool of my own sweat for over an hour now.

I first saw her out of the corner of my eye. She was maybe ten? She was a scrawny little thing with light brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She had beautiful big green eyes and pouty lips. She was sweating from the heat and looked at the pimple faced boys with utter disdain. She had a pink Hello Kitty shirt and some orange shorts that clashed horribly. Despite this, I fully expected her to be quite a looker one day. Why I even stopped think of that at the time I did not question. Today I know though. I was looking into the impish face of my future soulmate.

She was pulling a rusty red wagon that squeaked as she pulled it. Inside of it was a huge pile of aluminum cans. One of the boys playing in the water from the fire hydrant kicked some of the cans. The cans rolled everywhere. Some rolled in the direction of the studio.

Me, I would have kicked their asses. She however rolled her eyes and bent down and just picked the cans at her feet up placing them in her wagon. When she turned to my direction to pick up the cans that had rolled over against the studio entrance I quickly turned to face the barre. I placed myself in my most refined practice pose and pointed my toes. The music gave the whole scene of refinement with me an accomplished ballerina. Why I did this I did not know then. Today I do and she teases me about it. Even then I wanted to look good for her.

I could feel her green eyes looking me over. With her watching, I admit I put on an exaggerated bit of a show. I went through various positions. When she moved on pulling her wagon away I felt the loss. It was a strange feeling. I had enjoyed her eyes upon me.

I had wondered if I would ever see her again. I need not have pondered that however because it seemed that summer I got to perform for her daily, every afternoon at two o'clock. She was out there picking up her cans. She was making her way up the street. She was working her tail off. Always she had those orange shorts on. Some days however she had a lime green shirt that said the local boys soccer players used to wear. Her clothes never matched. The girl had no sense of fashion but after a while it occurred to me that she did not have anything else. Madame T grumbled that the girl was the daughter of the town drunk. Madame might have grumbled but that summer she did install a soda machine at the studio and set up a special can to recycle the cans. She knew full well that the kid came every day but Sunday to collect them. Madame T and I both figured out that she must take them down to the recycling center for cash.

Fall came and I started my sophomore year of high school. I thought the kid may stop coming around with school being back in session. Wrong, she was there faithfully. It was just a little after three. It was briefer. It seemed like the kid was in a hurry. Maybe the center closed at a certain time. The kid always stopped at least five minutes to watch the class I was in at time dance. The girls in my class got used to her coming around. I heard enough from conversing with them to know I had a much easier life that her. There I was working my ass off to attain my dream. There she was working hers to survive.

I started to try to catch her eye. The girl was so damn shy. I wanted that eye to eye connection. I wanted to acknowledge her. I wanted to let her know she was not invisible. She at least was not invisible to me.

My opportunity came in an innocent enough way. My uncle was coming to pick me up. It was a Saturday afternoon and my entire family was going to the Country Club for dinner. Madame T let us out a little early and "Wheels" as I affectionately nicknamed her was just coming up the road. As usual, she had her wagon filled with her haul. I had already gulped down my diet soda. I never used to drink the stuff till "Wheels" came into my life. The girl was walking in my direction. We were actually walking towards each other. She was passing my Uncles Red BMW convertible. She sort of stopped and hesitated when she realized our paths were going to meet. She sort of got that look like a deer that freezes up when it encounters a person in the woods. She did not look frightened really but she did look cautious. I did not want her to be that way around me.

So I walked up to her wagon and placed my diet soda can right into her rusty red wagon.

Our eyes met and my heart flip flopped. Her green eyes were so expressive. I felt like I was looking into a mirror to her soul. She seemed so surprised. It was a pleasant surprise though. She gave me a bright smile and she had the cutest hint of a blush to her cheeks.

She later told me was the first person she felt acknowledged her and when our green eyes met it was like a soothing balm to her wounded heart.

I later told her to that in that moment I connected not only to her eye to eye but heart to heart. It was magical and a true defining moment.


End file.
